Confessions

[jab91864]

Who has brought their best broody hen in the house during the winter and tried to encourage her to be in the mood and hatch eggs ??

Come on step forward, insanity wants company..lol. The little voice in my head is telling me to bring in two of my broodier gals and try this.

Julie

 

[Corey NC]

I have!

Here's Bonnie -

 

[Berynn]

If my hen would go broody, I could and would do that

 

[jab91864]

Well I'm toying with the idea. I told myself I NEEDED silkies because they are such good broodies, or so I hear..lol. So last spring I hatched silkies in my bator.

Anyway several have been trying to hatch golf balls for the past month. My banty faverolle tried the same the month before. Now another silkie seems to be stealing eggs from my brahma and wyandotte hens.

Then I got the bright idea maybe if I bring two in (wouldn't want them to feel unflocked..lol) once they settled down maybe I could experiment and see if they will sit for the duration. Would be good practice. I have plenty of eggs from my own hens to try, but in the spring I want to buy other eggs and would like the broody over the incubator.

Although then I said well I'd have to have the bator up and running just in case things went wrong, well ya we know what happens when I've got an empty bator running.

I'm going thru chickie withdrawals big time and thought this might help, but to be honest I think it might make it worse. I have months of winter left here.

Julie

 

[Sharisr32]

Only issue I would see with this is the smell Broody's are not exactly rosey in that way ---

 

[LynnGrigg]

I allowed my broody silkie hen to hatch some eggs outside in mid-December. She and the four chicks are inside now. I just make a point of cleaning up the cat-sized pile of poo each day and they are doing well so far at two and a half weeks.